[Soft classical music]

My name is Katherine Phillips and I'm a welfare rights adviser working for the Macmillan Support Line.

We're a team of experts trained in welfare rights issues.

We would look at the situation and assess what benefits somebody can apply for,

whether there are benefits that can be paid on top of a person's sick pay,

guide them as to which benefits they can apply for, and at what different stages people can apply for benefits.

Because different benefits are applicable at different points during the process.

We would first get a full picture of what their situation is, with regards to the makeup of the household,

what income they've got coming in, what expenditure they've got in terms of rent or mortgages, council tax, that kind of thing.

And also what their health situation is - what type of cancer they have,

what type of treatment and how long that treatment's going to last for.

It's not just the person who has the cancer who's affected by the diagnosis.

They could be a partner who has to take time off work to look after them.

We would send them out any relevant forms they might need to apply for those benefits,

or point them in the direction of who they need to contact in order to apply for the benefit.

If someone has difficulties with a claim, for instance they've been given an unfavourable decision

and they don't understand why that decision has been made,

or they want some advice on how to challenge that decision, again, that's something we can help them with.

The sick pay someone can receive from their employer is very much determined by their employment circumstances.

If somebody meets the requirements for receiving sick pay,

if they were earning over the lower limit for sick pay, then they must be paid that for a period of 28 weeks.

Whether or not their employer pays them full pay for a full period or half pay for a period

is entirely down to the terms of their contract, and that is not set in law at all.

As well as benefits, Macmillan can also help people with a one-off grant

to help out with some of the extra costs that a person has as a result of their cancer diagnosis.

Some people may find that they're spending a lot more time at home if they're off work

and maybe fuel bills have increased as a result of that.

Another person might find that their weight has changed and they want to buy some new clothing.

It could be something as simple as the fact that somebody has had just an absolutely awful year

and would like to get away for a few days and spend a bit of quality time with their family,

and a convalescent break might be something they'd want some help towards,

and we can help people with applying for the Macmillan grants,

help them complete the forms and guide them through that process.

Sometimes people call us and they've only recently been diagnosed.

Or they've received information that the treatment's not working as it was expected to.

And people can be quite upset for obvious reasons when they call us.

Sometimes we have to ask quite personal questions

which concentrates people's emotions on their situation more fully than they perhaps expected.

And so people do get quite emotional.

We understand that and we don't try to cut people short or try to gloss over it.

People can take as long as they want when they're talking to us. We're not going to rush people.

If it takes a while or we need to take a breather, call them back at a later time

when they're feeling a bit more able to talk, then that's fine.

We'll do it however is easiest for the person.

[New speaker] For information, help, or if you just want to chat,

call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00. Or visit macmillan.org.uk